Classical Arabic Literature - (Library of Arabic Literature) by Geert Jan Van Gelder

Classical Arabic Literature is a comprehensive anthology that showcases the rich variety of pre-modern Arabic social and cultural life through well-known and less familiar pieces, including texts translated into English for the first time.

This masterful collection introduces readers to a vibrant literary heritage that spans from early Bedouin poems to refined urban lyrical verse, tender love poetry to sonorous eulogy and vicious lampoon, and mystical rapture to frivolous comic verse.

With short introductions and informative endnotes and bibliography, this anthology is perfect for both scholars and general readers who want to explore the universal appeal and validity of the Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition.